A GUIDE to the hidden gems of Birmingham is being produced by staff at a city conference centre and hotel.

Used to offering tips to guests on where to eat, drink or be entertained, Conference Aston staff decided to draw up a list of their favourite things to see and do in the city.

The ‘We Love Birmingham’ guide will be updated on a regular basis as staff find new hidden gems scattered through the city to recommend to tourists to the area.

Paul Bunce, marketing manager at Conference Aston, said: “Birmingham is a fantastic, diverse, exciting city to be in and all our staff are incredibly enthusiastic about the attractions on our doorstep and further afield.

“The team regularly makes recommendations to guests staying in our hotel so we thought it would be a great opportunity to bring these together into a handy booklet available to all our guests.

“We hope to raise people’s awareness of the hidden gems in Birmingham and give them a new perspective on the city.”

The booklet is also being aimed at locals who live on the doorstep of Birmingham who are unaware of some of the city’s highlights.

Mr Bunce added: “Birmingham is packed full of day visitors travelling from throughout the West Midlands and we want them to extend their stay, enjoy the fantastic facilities the city has to offer and enjoy a weekend break staying in one of the centre’s fantastic hotels.

“So we will be distributing the guide to the Birmingham visitors who use our conference and on site facilities and we are also putting together a series of exclusive weekend break deals in partnership with the fantastic venues recommended by our staff.”

One of the first attractions listed in the guide is the Big Brum Buz which offers open top bus tours around the city.

The trips run on Saturdays from Colmore Row through Edgbaston and the historic Jewellery Quarter before returning to the city centre.

It made the guide for the tours detailed knowledge of Birmingham and the chance to see some of the city’s top architecture.

Included on the list of Birmingham’s top spots are the city’s network of canals, Cafe Soya in the Arcadian, the legendary Balti Triangle where British curry as we know it was invented, the cosmopolitan dining experience of Brindley Place and Shogun Sushi in the Mailbox.

For family days out the guide recommends Thinktank at Millennium Point, Cadbury World and for nights out the plethora of bars and clubs along Broad Street, as well as the more cultural spots such as the Royal Ballet and the city’s theatres.